Air conditioner



Jan. 1 7 A. D. SULLIVAN 3,299,660

AIR CONDITIONER Filed July 19, 1965 R 188 g INVENTOR.

Mil/[l/i/H BY Alfred D. Sullivan k /v 34 12/ a; M4

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,299,660 AIR CONDITIONER Alfred D.Sullivan, Dearborn, Mich., assignor to American Radiator & StandardSanitary Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware FiledJuly 19, 1965. Ser. No. 473,040 2 Claims. (Cl. 62-285) This inventionpertains to air conditioners and, more particularly, toblower-evaporator units which may be vertically or horizontally mounted.

In many air conditioning systems, the components are separated toprovide a split system. In a split system, the blower-evaporator unit isplaced in the region to be cooled and the motor-compressor unit isplaced in some convenient location remote from the evaporator unit andusually positioned outside the area being temperature regulated. Such asystem is versatile as it simplifies the space requirements in theregion to be air conditioned. However, it often occurs that spacerequirements are so strict that the orientation of the blower-evaporatorunit is restricted to a given position. Generally, the blowerevaporatorunit is a parallelepipedon having different length, width and heightdimensions. Usually, in an unrestricted installation the unit is mountedvertically on the floor. However, it often happens that the availablespace does not permit such an installation. In such a case, the unit issuspended from the ceiling horizontally.

Heretofore, it was necessary to either provide a separate unit for eachtype of installation or to modify the relative positions of the elementsof the unit when the unit Was being installed. Such a reorientation ofthe elements was required because in one installation position there maybe unrestricted air flow while in the other position there would berestricted air flow. More seriously, in one position there :may beefiicient and reliable condensate disposal while in the other position,without modification, condensate disposal becomes a serious problem. Ina typical unitary blower-evaporator unit, condensate collects on theevaporator and under the influence of gravity drips into a trough belowthe evaporator. Therefore, if the configuration is such that, in ahorizontal installation, the trough is below the evaporator, then, in avertical installation, the trough is no longer below the evaporator. Insuch a case, condensate will not be collected. For this reason, it isnecessary to change the internal arrangement of the elements when theinstallation position is vertical instead of horizontal. Such, in situ,modifications require the time of a skilled mechanic and, therefore, addto the expense of installing an air conditioner.

It is, accordingly, a general object of the invention to provide a moreversatile blower-evaporator unit for an air conditioner.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improvedblower-evaporator unit which requires no modification by -a mechanic sothat it can operate efficiently in accordance with the spacerequirements of the installation site.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a blower-evaporatorunit that can optionally be installed in a vertical or horizontalposition.

Briefly, the invention contemplates a cooling unit for horizontal andvertical installation. The unit comprises a. housing having at least abottom wall and a side wall so that the unit can be supported at itsbottom wall in a horizontal installation and by the side wall in avertical installation. Within the housing is a chilling unit which isangularly disposed with respect to both the side and bottom walls. Afirst condensate receptacle is disposed in the housing and positioned tocollect condensate dripping from the chilling unit when the unit ishorizontally installed. A second condensate receptacle is also withinthe housing and is positioned to collect condensate dripping from thechilling unit when the unit is vertically installed.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will in part beobvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention, accordingly, comprises the features and arrangementswhich are exemplified with respect to a particular combination ofelements while the scope of the invention will be indicated in theclaims.

For a further understanding of the nature and objects and advantages ofthe invention, reference should be made to the following detaileddescription read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a chilling unit in the form of ablower-evaporator unit, horizontally suspended from the ceiling, inaccordance with the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a. cross-sectional view of the blower-evaporator unit of FIG.1, vertically mounted on the floor.

Referring to FIG. 1, a blower-evaporator unit 10 is shown horizontallysuspended by ceiling S by means of rods 9 and channel beams 11. The unit10 comprises a housing 14, enclosing a blower 16, an evaporator 18, afirst trough 20, a second trough 22 and a filter 24.

Housing 14 comprises a top wall 26, a bottom wall 28, and side walls 30and 32, as well as a pair of side walls (not shown) parallel to theplane of FIG. 1. Top wall 26 is provided with an opening 26A adjacentthe common edge 34 of top Wall 26 and side wall 32. Opening 26A extendsfrom edge 34 along a portion of top Wall 26 toward side wall 30.Similarly, side wall 32 is provided with an opening 32A adjacent commonedge 34 which extends therefrom along a portion of side wall 32 towardbottom wall 28. Side wall 30 is also provided with an opening 30Athrough which extends the outlet of blower 16.

When unit 10 is horizontally suspended from ceiling 8, blower 16 drawsair through inlet or opening 32A, filter 24 and evaporator 18 and expelsthe air, via opening 30A, into the region to be conditioned. Theimportance of a pair of orthogonally disposed openings is apparent whenit is realized that in a horizontal installation flush with the ceiling,the passage of air through the opening 26A is restricted, and, as isapparent from FIG. 2, a vertical installation blocks opening 32A.

Evaporator 18 is angularly disposed with respect to side wall 32 and topwall 26 and opposite the openings thereof so as to present a largecooling area to the air flow from either opening. As is well known,while the evaporator 18 is chilling the circulating air it extractsmoisture therefrom. The condensate collects on the evaporator fins 18A.This condensate must be disposed. Generally, the condensate is allowedto drip into a receptacle and then drained from the receptacle.Accordingly, the first trough 20 is fixed to bottom wall 28 and extendsalong a sufiicient length thereof so as to encompass the entireprojection of evaporator 18 on bottom wall 28. Thus, in a horizontalinstallation condensate dripping from any portion of evaporator 18 willbe caught by trough 20. In order to collect dripping condensate in avertical installation, the second trough 22 is fixed parallel to sideWall 32. If trough 22 were extended sufiiciently toward top Wall 26 toencompass the entire vertical projection of evaporate 18, opening 32Awould be blocked. Therefore, the length of trough 22 is restricted sothat it doesnt extend into the region of opening 32A but that it does atleast, in a vertical insallation (see FIG. 2), lie below thev edge 18Bof evaporator 18. In order to insure that all the condensate collectingon evaporator 18, in a vertical installation, is collected by trough 22,the plane of evaporator 18 makes an angle A with respect to side wall 32that is at least equal to 52. It has been found that when such anangular orientation is provided condensate runs along the edges of thefins 18A to the edge 18B and drops downward (in a vertical installation)into trough 22.

Although separate troughs can be used, it is more efficient to connectthe troughs, as shown, and provide a common drain port 40. Thus, asingle drain is provided for either orientation.

There has thus been shown an improved chilling unit which, by utilizinga pair of air inlets disposed in orthogonally positioned walls and anevaporator angularly oriented with respect to both of the wall, permitsunrestricted air fiow when the unit is installed either vertically orhorizontally.

In addition, by utilizing a pair of troughs parallel to the orthogonallydisposed walls, condensate is collected when the unit is installedeither horizontally or vertically. Furthermore, by angularly orientingthe evaporator at an angle of greater than 52 with respect to one of theside walls, condensate is guided along the edges of the evaporator finsto a trough that is not below the entire extent of the evaporator.

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those madeapparent from the preceding description, are efficiently attained and,since certain changes may be made in the above construction withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, it is intended that allmatter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyingdrawings shall "be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended tocover all of the generic and specific features of the invention hereindescribed, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as amatter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

What is claimed is:

1. A blower-evaporator unit for horizontal and vertical installationcomprising a housing including bottom, top, a pair of end walls and apair of side walls, said top wall and one of said end walls beingprovided with air inlets in portions thereof adjacent a common edge,each of said openings extending from said common edge and terminating atan intermediate region of the associated Wall, a blower in said housingadjacent the other of said end walls, said blower having an outlet, saidother end wall being provided with an air outlet for transferring airdelivered by the outlet of said blower to the region outside saidhousing, a fiat evaporator means, in said housing, said evaporator beingangularly disposed so as to angularly face the opening in said one endwall and to angularly face the opening in said top wall, means forguiding all the air moving from said inlets to said outlets through saidevaporator, a first trough in said housing and disposed on said bottomwall to encompass the projection of the entire evaporator means on saidbottom wall so that when said unit is horizontally supported along saidbottom wall all condensate dripping from any portion of said evaporatoris collected by said first trough, a second trough in said housing, saidsecond trough being disposed parallel to said one end wall and extendingfrom said bottom wall to just beyond the edge portion of said evaporatormeans closest said one end wall so as to be opposite only the unopenportion of said one end wall so that when said unit is verticallysupported along said end wall condensate dripping from said edge portionis collected in said second trough, and a common drain means at thejunction of said first and second trough means.

2. The unit of claim 1 wherein said flat evaporator means makes an angleof at least 52 with respect to said one end wall.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,697,921 12/1954 Brugler 62-286 2,822,674 2/ 1958 Simmons 162291 2,899,803 8/ 1959Paley 6-2--291 2,909,043 10/1959 Baker 62-426 3,012,762 12/1961 Norris165--48 WILLIAM J. WYE, Primary Examiner.

1. A BLOWER-EVAPORATOR UNIT FOR HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL INSTALLATIONCOMPRISING A HOUSING INCLUDING BOTTOM, TOP, A PAIR OF END WALLS AND APAIR OF SIDE WALLS, SAID TOP WALL AND ONE OF SAID END WALLS BEINGPROVIDED WITH AIR INLETS IN PORTIONS THEREOF ADJACENT A COMMON EDGE,EACH OF SAID OPENINGS EXTENDING FROM SAID COMMON EDGE AND TERMINATING ATAN INTERMEDIATE REGION OF THE ASSOCIATED WALL, A BLOWER IN SAID HOUSINGADJACENT THE OTHER OF SAID END WALLS, SAID BLOWER HAVING AN OUTLET, SAIDOTHER END WALL BEING PROVIDED WITH AN AIR OUTLET FOR TRANSFERRING AIRDELIVERED BY THE OUTLET OF SAID BLOWER TO THE REGION OUTSIDE SAIDHOUSING, A FLAT EVAPORATOR MEANS, IN SAID HOUSING, SAID EVAPORATOR BEINGANGULARLY DISPOSED SO AS TO ANGULARLY FACE THE OPENING IN SAID ONE ENDWALL AND TO ANGULARLY FACE THE OPENING IN SAID TOP WALL, MEANS FORGUIDING ALL THE AIR MOVING FROM SAID INLETS TO SAID OUTLETS THROUGH SAIDEVAPORATOR, A FIRST TROUGH IN SAID HOUSING AND DISPOSED ON SAID BOTTOMWALL TO ENCOMPASS THE PROJECTION OF THE ENTIRE EVAPORATOR MEANS ON SAIDBOTTOM WALL SO THAT WHEN SAID UNIT IS HORIZONTALLY SUPPORTED ALONG SAIDBOTTOM WALL ALL CONDENSATE DRIPPING FROM ANY PORTION OF SAID EVAPORATORIS COLLECTED BY SAID FIRST TROUGH, A SECOND TROUGH IN SAID HOUSING, SAIDSECOND TROUGH BEING DISPOSED PARALLEL TO SAID ONE WALL AND EXTENDINGFROM SAID BOTTOM WALL TO JUST BEYOND THE EDGE PORTION OF SAID EVAPORATORMEANS CLOSET SAID ONE END WALL SO AS TO BE OPPOSITE ONLY THE UNOPENPORTION OF SAID ONE END WALL SO THAT WHEN SAID UNIT IS VERTICALLYSUPPORTED ALONG SAID END WALL CONDENSATE DRIPPING FROM SAID EDGE PORTIONIS COLLECTED IN SAID SECOND TROUGH, AND A COMMON DRAIN MEANS AT THEJUNCTION OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND TROUGH MEANS.